“The streets I have walked down happily when I visit, I’ve seen them burned,” he said, speaking of the protests that put Egypt in the international spotlight in recent days.

Gayar, the chairman of radiation oncology at McLaren Regional Medical Center and a board member at the Flint Islamic Center, in Flint Township, and the Grand Blanc Islamic Center, has lived in the U.S. for almost three decades and in the Flint area for about 20 years. He said he spent all weekend “glued to the news,” watching the protests.

“I left a year after Mubarak was in power,” he said. “I visit yearly and I have seen the conditions get worse in Egypt.”

On Jan. 25, protesters in the capitol city of Cairo marched from Tahrir Square to the parliament building. The protesters included people of all ages, social classes and religions, according to media reports.

The protesters are calling for Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak to step down from his 30 year presidency and also are protesting government corruption, a poor economy and oppressive policies, according to reports.

“I feel for the people there and feel for the needs of freedom and democracy,” Gayar said. “I hope the change happens peacefully.”

Gayar has been in touch with his family but it’s been difficult — the government is interrupting the Internet and cell phone reception.

“They are afraid, they are concerned but in the mean time, they’re hopeful,” he said of his family.

The Flint Islamic Center held a special prayer for the Egyptian people last week and some members of the Center are planning to fast, said Mohammed Saleem, outreach director for the Center.

He said the events in Tunisia might have helped spark the protests in Egypt.

“I think Tunisia has opened the door,” Saleem said. “They have had no rights at all for the last 30 years. They should have freedom of expression.”

Protests in Tunisia during January led to then President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's departure from power after almost two decades of rule and the beginning of governmental reforms, according to reports.

Abdelmajid Jondy, president of the Center, said the promises Mubarak has made in light of the protests — including swearing in a new cabinet Monday — ring hollow.

“(Egyptians have) suffered so long — 30 years of suffering and no changes made. There were promises just like now. Well, you’ve been there for 30 years, why didn’t you do it from the beginning?,” he said. “These people don’t go out in the street for fun — they’re suffering.”

Gayar visited Egypt in April of last year and said the conditions were the “worst ever.”

“It’s different hearing it about a place you know and visited,” Gayar said. “My roots are there and living in freedom in the U.S. and experiencing the humans rights we have here; it makes you feel more for the people there and hope they can achieve some of what we have.”